Cover lifter



Jan. 25, 1944. A. c. SIHAFER COVER LIFTER Filed NOV. 4, 1942 Qwuvwbw Arthur E ShafEt Patented Jan. 25, 1944 UNHTED STAT assasie The invention described "herein may bemanufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the paymentto me of any royalty thereon. I i 1 This invention relates to a cover lifter.

The practice exists of storing smokeless pow der in heavy metal-containers, which are usually called boxes. The top of a commonly. used box is provided with a round opening through which the smokeless powder is introduced into or removed from the box. This-opening is provided with a short neck upon whic'h -the-metal cover is secured by suitable clamping means; with a rubber gasket between'the cover and the 't'o'p of the neck. This forms an air-tight closure of the box. When smokeless powder has been so sealed in a box, it has been found that after a time a vacuum or partial vacuum forms within the box, making it very difiicult to remove the cover after the clamping means have been removed or loosened.

Owing to the fact that these heavy metal boxes may be made of sheet steel, or galvanized sheet steel, an indiscriminate use of tools in forcing or prying the cover open is not advisable, since such action may occasion a spark by metal striking or rubbing against metal. Such a spark may ignite the powder within the container and cause an explosion.

Among the objects of the present invention is to provide a tool by the use of which these covers of powder boxes are easily lifted from the openings they close. A further object of the invention is to so construct such a tool that a spark is not likely to be produced in using it for the purpose intended.

While the present invention is particularly useful in lifting the covers of smokeless powder boxes which are held down owing to a vacuum or partial vacuum existing within the powder box, it is not to be considered as limited to this specific use. The invention may be applied to lifting tight covers from containers having other materials within them and which are difficult to lift owing to a partial vacuum or other cause.

An embodiment of the invention. applied to the lifting of the cover of a heavy sheet metal smokeless powder box, is illustrated in the accompanying drawing. In the drawing,

Figure l is a vertical section of a part of the top of a powder box with the cover lifter of the present invention in elevation.

Figure 2 is an elevation of the cover lifter of the present invention with the handle somewhat depressed :fromits position in Figure l, and with cates the topf a smokeless powder bo'x con- 7 rubber ring gasket 8.

structed of heavy- -gaugesheet steel. The numeral 2 indicates the boxs side wall which extends above the top of the box to form a rim or chime 3 completely around the-top The top of the box is provided with a round opening t within which a short neck 5 is fitted and secured. The top of neck 5 is shown provided with a shoulder 6 which extends completely around the neck. A round cover I is provided to close the opening in the neck. This cover is rolled over around its periphery to form an inverted U-shaped depression or groove which holds the The parts are so related that the gasket fits on top of the neck 5 and is pressed between the latter and the top I when the top 1 is clamped down. In Figure 1, the gasket appears as if pressure is applied to cover I from above. The horizontal cross-section of a smokeless powder box is usually a rectangle with rounded corners, and the top is of this shape also.

The neck 5 is usually nearer to one of the shorter edges of the top. than to the other.

The cover lifter comprises a handle 9 of steel, 21. lug or ear I!) of steel brazed to the handle 9 near one end, 'a nose II of brass brazed to the rod 9 at the end near the lug H3, and a brace or base indicated generally by the numeral l2 made entirely of brass.

The brace or base 12 consists of a brass rod or bar l3 to one end of which a cross bar or rod M of brass is brazed. The opposite end of rod I3 is slotted at IS in a plane forming a right angle with the plane of the bar 14, thereby forming two cars It. A hole I! is drilled through these two ears, and a manganese bronze pin l8 passes through these two holes with a drive fit. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the bottom of cross bar I4 is flush with the bottom of rod 13, so that the brace or base of which they form part will rest without rocking on a plane surface to which the brace may be applied. The cross bar M may be bent in the form of an arc in order to permit that end of the brace to fit against a curved abutting surface, such as a circular rim or a circular portion of a rectangular rim with rounded comers.

The brass nose H consists, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated, of a short piece of round rod. This nose is secured at right angles to the end of thesteel rod by brazing, and the axis of this rod is parallel or substantially parallel with the axis of the pin l8 and with the plane of base l2 or of cross bar l4 when the parts are assembled as shown in Figures 1 and 2; Considered from the operating position, the nose I l projects from the top, and the ear ill projects from underneath, of the operating handle 9.

The ear 10 on the handle 9 fits with a sliding fit in slot l5 of the rod I3, and is provided with a drilled hole through which the pin l8 passes.

The ear I and handle 9 attached thereto rock on pin l8 as a pivot. The dimensionsof the ear I 0 are such that its free end is short of the bottom of the slot l at every position to. which it may be rocked in use. See Figures 1 and-2. This condition preventsrthe steel ear fromgcoming into contact with the metal top of the powder box. To further elevate the free end of the ear Hi from the bottom of slot l5,the hole l-I in the rod I3 may be drilled a little above the longitudinal axis of the rod. l

A knob 19 of brass may be secured to the handle 9, and it is advantageous to chamfer the end of the handle at 20. In situations where the character of the metals from which the-parts of the device are made'are of no concern, all the various parts may be made of steel or other suitable metal.

. In use, the cover lifter is placed on the top I o;- the box, with the nose II engaged under the 5 edge of the cover and with the cross bar I4 abutting against a straight or curved portion of the rim 3, as shown in Figure l. The handle 9 is then depressed to lift the cover.

I claim:

1. A cover lifter comprising an operating handle, an ear projecting from underneath said handle near one end, a base comprising a brass bar to one end of which said ear is pivoted, a brass cross bar at the other end of said bar, and 5 a brass nose at that end of said handle to which said ear is near and projecting above said handle.

2. A- cover lifter comprising an operating handle, an ear projecting from underneath said handle near one end, a base comprising a bar to 20 one end of which said ear is pivoted, a cross bar in theform of an are at the other end of said banand a nose at that end of said handle, to which said ear is near and projecting above said handle. l

3. A cover lifter comprising an operating handle, an ear fixed upon and projecting beneath said handle near one end, a base to a portion of which said ear is in pivotal connection and having an arcuate portion removed from said pivotal connection in a direction substan-:

ARTHUR C. SHAFER. 

